Archaeology of the Origin of the State

The Theories

Vicente Lull and Rafael Mico

Original approach: political theory is seen from the perspective of an applied science (archaeology)

Fills a gap in archaeological thought and will provoke debate about its implications for our understanding of human history

Archaeology of the Origin of the State

The Theories

Vicente Lull and Rafael Mico

Description

This book, newly translated from the original Spanish, first offers a summary of the main theories about what we today call the `State', a category that draws together various interests in the research into the past of human societies and, at the same time, inspires passionate political and ideological debate. The authors review political philosophies from Greek antiquity to contemporary evolutionism. They then examine how the State has been viewed and studied within archaeology in the twentieth century, and offer an alternative approach based upon historical materialism. Their argument that this method can be profitably used to study the archaeological record is a sophisticated and creative contribution to current theory, and will inspire debate about its
implications for our understanding of human history.

Archaeology of the Origin of the State

The Theories

Vicente Lull and Rafael Mico

Table of Contents

IntroductionI. Theories about the State 1. The Classical Conception2. The State According to Christianity3. Renaissance of the State4. The Seventeenth Century: Fear and Property5. The Eighteenth Century: Lights and Shadows in the State6. The Absolute State7. The Critique of the State in Marx8. Evolutionism and the StateII. Archaeology of the State 9. Archaeology and Research on the State10. Towards a Marxist Archaeology of the State11. Epilogue: Theories of the State and the Archaeology of the State: Continuities and Complicity

Archaeology of the Origin of the State

The Theories

Vicente Lull and Rafael Mico

Author Information

Vincente Lull is Professor of Prehistory at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

Rafael Mico is Lecturer in Prehistory at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.